diff --git a/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/review-package b/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/review-package
index 31852e2a..c7ce1ef4 100755
--- a/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/review-package
+++ b/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/review-package
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ git rev-parse --verify --quiet "$head" >/dev/null || { echo "bad HEAD: $head" >&
 if [ $# -eq 4 ]; then
   out=$4
 else
-  dir=$("$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)/sdd-workspace" "$plan")
+  # Invoke via bash rather than direct exec: some extractors (Python zipfile)
+  # strip Unix exec bits when unpacking marketplace packages (#2040).
+  dir=$("${BASH:-bash}" "$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)/sdd-workspace" "$plan")
   out="$dir/review-$(git rev-parse --short "$base")..$(git rev-parse --short "$head").diff"
 fi
 
diff --git a/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/task-brief b/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/task-brief
index 612e14a1..b49fc546 100755
--- a/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/task-brief
+++ b/skills/subagent-driven-development/scripts/task-brief
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ n=$2
 if [ $# -eq 3 ]; then
   out=$3
 else
-  dir=$("$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)/sdd-workspace" "$plan")
+  # Invoke via bash rather than direct exec: some extractors (Python zipfile)
+  # strip Unix exec bits when unpacking marketplace packages (#2040).
+  dir=$("${BASH:-bash}" "$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)/sdd-workspace" "$plan")
   out="$dir/task-${n}-brief.md"
 fi
 
diff --git a/tests/claude-code/test-sdd-workspace.sh b/tests/claude-code/test-sdd-workspace.sh
index 84172301..86576df5 100755
--- a/tests/claude-code/test-sdd-workspace.sh
+++ b/tests/claude-code/test-sdd-workspace.sh
@@ -189,6 +189,21 @@ PLAN
         echo "    status: $wt_status"
     fi
 
+    # --- helpers survive a mode-stripping extractor dropping exec bits (#2040) ---
+    local stripped="$TEST_ROOT/stripped-scripts"
+    mkdir -p "$stripped"
+    cp "$SDD_SCRIPTS/sdd-workspace" "$SDD_SCRIPTS/task-brief" "$SDD_SCRIPTS/review-package" "$stripped/"
+    chmod -x "$stripped"/*
+    local noexec_out noexec_rc=0
+    noexec_out="$(cd "$repo" && bash "$stripped/task-brief" plan-b.md 1 2>&1)" || noexec_rc=$?
+    if [[ "$noexec_rc" -eq 0 && -f "$repo/.superpowers/sdd/plan-b/task-1-brief.md" ]]; then
+        pass "task-brief works with no exec bit on sdd-workspace"
+    else
+        fail "task-brief works with no exec bit on sdd-workspace"
+        echo "    rc: $noexec_rc"
+        echo "    output: $noexec_out"
+    fi
+
     echo ""
     if [[ "$FAILURES" -ne 0 ]]; then
         echo "FAILED: $FAILURES assertion(s)."